Somerset and regional districts to see school lunch hike

Wednesday

Aug 14, 2013 at 12:01 AMAug 14, 2013 at 2:01 PM

The price of school lunches will be higher for all grades in the Somerset and regional school districts, increasing by 25 cents at the middle and high schools to $2.75, and by 40 cents at the elementary schools to $2.40.

The 25-cent hike at the secondary schools gained unanimous approval of the Somerset and Somerset Berkley Regional school committees last week, while the larger increase at Somerset’s elementary schools passed, 3-2.

Michael Holtzman

The price of school lunches will be higher for all grades in the Somerset and regional school districts, increasing by 25 cents at the middle and high schools to $2.75, and by 40 cents at the elementary schools to $2.40.

The 25-cent hike at the secondary schools gained unanimous approval of the Somerset and Somerset Berkley Regional school committees last week, while the larger increase at Somerset’s elementary schools passed, 3-2.

Addressing perennial deficits in the lunch program, School Committeewoman Lori Rothwell protested the amount and asked “if we’re just throwing numbers at it.”

Committeeman Robert Camara, now the acting chairman, also opposed it. He said a quarter increase would boost lunches for the year about $45, while a 40-cent increase would add about $72 to the annual cost of lunches.

School officials said a combination of losing money on school lunches for years — particularly at the elementary schools — and the reimbursement amount for free lunches to comply with federal requirements necessitated the increases.

“Now we comply with federal regulations,” said Marc Furtado, the business manager for the regional district.

He said the government reimburses the district $2.40 for free lunches that he said go to about 10 percent of the student population.

Furtado said federal officials overseeing the program “don’t want you subsidizing the regular lunch program with reimbursements.” Furtado is not handling the Somerset K-8 district business finances after being placed on paid administrative leave related to a recently announced budget deficit for fiscal 2013.

School Committeeman Victor Machado said the community is absorbing too many deficits. “We’re at a point in the community where we can’t afford to give,” he said.

Committee members Donald Rebello and Jamison Souza also supported the elementary lunch increase.

In concert with the school price increases, which officials hoped would be kept constant for several years, the two School Committees unanimously approved a new contract with new provider Whitson Culinary Group.

Whitson, based in New York and provider for many local school districts including Fall River, took over in January amid many problems with the in-house program.

The Whitson takeover entailed many capital improvements, staff training and management oversight to turn around the program.

The school boards approved a contract for one year with four renewable one-year contracts that requires approval by the state Department of Elementary and Secondary Education. It’s been submitted and should be finalized within two weeks, Furtado said.

The elementary schools finished the last school year with a deficit of $137,303, with expenses nearly $100,000 greater than the year before, officials reported.

Furtado reported the lunch program lost “at least $80,000 a year for five of the last six years.”

The high school lunch program ran a deficit of $86,689, Somerset Berkley School Committee Chairman Richard Peirce told a joint meeting last week, saying, “various elements contributed to that” and are not expected this year.

The shortfall, which the regional district offset with transfers, was caused in particular by costs of training staff and increased food costs, Peirce said. After a new data software system is implemented, new training is scheduled in October, he said.

According to Janis Johnson, the acting food services director, under Whitsons in fiscal 2014, the regional district projects a $7,377 food program profit.

At the K-8 district, Johnson reported a $28,710 deficit was projected if lunch prices increased from $2.00 to $2.25 a meal, and should now be lower with a 40-cent increase.

“If we get to an $18,000 loss, it would be easier to make up,” Souza projected.